NFPA's "Fire Sprinkler Initiative: Bringing Safety Home" provides resources for the fire service and other sprinkler advocates who want to demonstrate the need for home fire sprinklers in their community.

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May 2012

05/25/2012

An article in the Cumberland Times-News reports that the City of Frostburg’s mayor and city council voted unanimously in favor of the home fire sprinkler mandate and designed an attractive incentive package for homebuilders, effective July 1, 2012. With this action, city leaders reversed an earlier vote to opt-out of the state’s requirement to install fire sprinkler systems in all new one- and two-family homes.

As reported by Cumberland Times-News, fire officials had pleaded with local leaders to make the installation of sprinkler systems law, quoting Frostburg Fire Volunteer Department President Gary Tummino; “As firefighters, our only advantage is time, and anything that can help us to prevent the loss of life and property is important...We are proud of the mayor and council for being proactive in this and protecting the citizens of our town.”

According to the article, the Council also unanimously approved the Residential Sprinkler System Incentive Program 2012 to try to attract “as many new construction projects for one- and two-unit residential projects as is possible.”

The incentives include:

$1,000 reimbursement of the standard water connection fee, which typically costs from $1,500 to $1,800.

Real estate taxes would also be significantly reduced for three years, with the city receiving taxes for the value of the land and only 20 percent of new construction.

In April, the Frostburg Council voted 3-2 to opt out of the state’s requirement but quickly reconsidered because of strong opposition from fire department officials. There is another reason for reconsidering; as reported here earlier this month, the State of Maryland enacted in to law HB366, and its companion, SB602 prohibiting local jurisdictions, with specified exceptions, from adopting local amendments to the Maryland Building Performance Standards if the local amendments weaken automatic fire sprinkler systems provisions contained in the Standards. Local jurisdictions will no longer be able to “opt out” of the requirement.

Incentives are considered an important tool to further bring down the price of home fire sprinkler systems. The Fire Sprinkler Cost Assessment study concluded that when incentives were applied the cost of the systems reviewed for the study averaged $1.49 per sq. ft. Another study, Incentives for the Use of Residential Fire Sprinkler Systems in U.S. Communities, by the Fire Protection Research Foundation revealed that incentives typically offered by jurisdictions are likely to offset 1/3 of the system’s cost. As jurisdictions continue to move towards providing incentives the cost of home fire sprinklers systems are likely to continue to decrease.

05/24/2012

Yesterday, after a contentious twelve-hour debate the SC BCC vote was 6-3 in favor of keeping various life safety provisions, including the home fire sprinkler requirement, in the adoption of the residential construction code. In addition to proposing the removal of the home fire sprinkler requirement the SC Home Builders Association (HBA) submitted code modifications that severely reduced other key safety provisions including:

Removal of the self closing device from 20 minute fire rated doors - The opening protection included in the code is there to provide fire resistance rating meant to stop the spread of fire from the attached garage to living areas of a home. A properly separated attached garage will restrict the potential spread of fire long enough to allow the occupants time to escape the home. Omitting the self-closing mechanism decreases the fire resistance required in the minimum model code.

Adding an exemption to the minimum 3 ft. wall separation for all platted lots and subdivisions- In a recent full-scale laboratory experiment at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), NIST Technical Note 1600, Residential Structure Separation Fire Experiments, it took less than 80 seconds for flames from a simulated house with combustible exterior walls to ignite a similar “house” 1.8 m (6 ft) away. The experiments showed that an adjacent structure can be ignited if flames from a fire inside a house exit through window openings. According to NIST, as the preponderance of high density housing increases, so does the risk of fire incidents involving multiple structures. There is a way to mitigate this trend by requiring fire sprinklers. The HBA proposal will exempt a huge portion of the future housing stock in SC without substitution.

Modification to install Carbon Monoxide (CO) alarms only in the vicinity of the door leading to the attached garage - CO alarms are required outside of each separate dwelling sleeping unit in the vicinity of the immediate sleeping area and on every occupiable level of the dwelling unit, including basements, but excluding attics and crawl spaces. The proposal to install CO alarms only in the vicinity of the door does not meet the minimum requirement to achieve a reasonable level of safety. The garage is not the only source of CO within a dwelling. Fuel fired appliances may be found in many areas of a dwelling, therefore the CO alarm must be installed in the vicinity of these other sources of CO. CO spreads throughout the dwelling when released and alarms must be installed in areas of the dwelling to provide early alert of the presence of CO, including sleeping occupants in areas far away from the door of the attached garage.

The hearing was held a day after firefighters from around the state gathered in Columbia to kick off “Faces of Fire” of South Carolina campaign. This is a state wide effort to educate the public on the life safety and other benefits of the required fire sprinkler protection for single family dwellings in all national model codes.

A 2/3 majority vote of the BCC is required to pass any measure. Even though a 6-3 vote constitutes the required super majority it must include all members of the council that are present at the hearing. The chair of the BCC abstained from voting. Randy Safer said, "in my opinion, the failure…to remove sprinklers means that sprinklers are still in the code.” The regulatory process moves to the legislative level next, where the SC HBA is expected to continue to pursue the removal of the fire sprinkler provision and other life safety requirements from the adopted residential construction code. The fire service and other life safety advocates in SC are equally committed to ensuring that life safety requirements remain in the codes.

05/23/2012

Firefighters from around the State of South Carolina gathered on Tuesday, May 22 to kick off “Faces of Fire” of South Carolina campaign. This is a state wide effort to educate the public on the life safety and other benefits of the required fire sprinkler protection for single family dwellings in all national model codes.

As a way of showing how quickly fire spreads and the life and property saving value of fire sprinklers, South Carolina Fire and Life Safety Education Association (FALSE) intentionally lit two fires in front of a live audience. Each room contained common furnishings, window treatments and a working smoke alarm. Only one of the rooms contained a fire sprinkler.

The campaign consists of billboard and video public service announcements, side-by-side burn demonstrations, and other events throughout the year. An important feature of the campaign is South Carolinians Princella Lee Bridges, Chief Brian Black, and Linda Chavis, telling their story of fires, loss, and recovery resulting from fire incidents in their homes. Ms. Bridges attended the kick-off event to share her story.

05/21/2012

Honolulu’s Star Advertiser reports that after a fire destroyed the upper two levels of his home, retired fire Captain Richard Soo rebuilt with fire sprinklers and is urging others to do so.

Captain Soo was the face of the Honolulu Fire Department , as its Public Information Officer, and is well known in the community. His home suffered severe damage from a fire, nearly $300,000 to the structure and its contents, according to the Star Adverstiser. It could all have been different, had his home been equipped with a fire sprinkler system. On top of the life safety benefits that fire sprinklers provide, they also reduce property damage by up to 70% according to NFPA statistics.

Luckily, no one was killed or injured. Captain Soo installed a sprinkler system in the rebuilt home, not just to protect the structure but, more importantly, to protect his family. Nine months after the fire he showed off his new fire sprinkler system and is urging others to install them in their homes.

Unfortunately, sprinkler systems requirements found in all national model codes will not be implemented in Hawaii due to the passing of SB2397, a bill prohibiting local jurisdictions from requiring installation or retrofitting of automatic fire sprinklers in new or existing one- or two-family dwelling units used only for residential purposes, except when there is inadequate water supply or fire department access.

The new issue of Fire Sprinkler Initiative News, NFPA's monthly e-newsletter, features a new partnership betweem NFPA and Green Builder® Media that will mean millions of people will learn about the environmental impact of fire sprinklers. We also look at exactly how fire sprinklers help protect the environment. We highlight important home fire sprinkler news from both Maryland and Minnesota, and feature a video interview about a new program in an Alaska community that offers homeowners a tax credit for installing home fire sprinklers.

Citing numerous factors contributing to fire death and the reality of new home contents he adds; “The increased combustibility of home furnishings and decorative finishes create a situation where the likelihood that firefighters will be able to rescue you is remote if you are asleep at the time of the fire.” Chief Gaines provides a realistic oulook and a statistically based scenario.

Chief Gaines points out that the solution to this problem is the requirement of fire sprinklers in all new home construction, adding; “If we take an objective view at the reasons for this lack of movement toward a safe and effective solution, it cannot be anything other than the almighty dollar and political influence.”

In his veto message the governor reiterates his position and says, “As I stated in my veto message last year, I take very seriously the concerns which fire safety professionals have expressed about the safety of home residents, their properties, and the lives of the men and women who courageously risk their lives to fight those fires. They are concerned that newly built homes burn more quickly, and that more firefighters are injured when floors collapse during fires. They contend that, with sprinkler systems in place, fires could be more readily contained, resulting in fewer injuries and deaths to homeowners and firefighters.”

The inclusion of the requirement in the model code will soon be considered for adoption in the state. With this action the governor recognizes the code adoption process, not legislative action, as the venue where objections to the requirement are best handled.

Governor Dayton has, once again demonstrated his commitment to life safety for the people of Minnesota. Common sense and the facts have prevailed over special interests.

05/10/2012

Recently, the State of Maryland enacted a bill that prohibits local authorities from weakening the fire and life safety standards by removing fire sprinkler requirements from the adopted code. There are numerous documented examples of the life safety and other benefits of home fire sprinklers in the State of Maryland.

In the most recent example a news release issued by the Maryland State Fire Marshal documents two fires during the month of April with very different outcomes. One home was protected with fire sprinklers and the other home was not equipped with the system. According to the report “…two home fires in St. Mary’s County exposed the value of residential fire sprinklers. The outcome of both fires would likely be the same, if both homes had the protection afforded by these life saving systems.”

As reported, on April 6, 2012, a fire began at approximately 10:39 a.m. in a first floor bedroom of a two story wood frame home. The fire progressed into the second floor and through the roof before being extinguished within thirty minutes by the Leonardtown, Hollywood and Bay District Volunteer Fire Departments. No occupants were at home at the time of the fire. Due to the extent of damage to the home, occupants will not be able to move back in for several months. Damage is estimated at $300,000.

In the second example, on April 25, 2012, a fire began at approximately 2:45 p.m. in the kitchen of a two story wood frame home. The fire began in a frying pan and was quickly extinguished by the automatic fire sprinkler system before the flames could grow out of control. The occupant of the home did not receive any injuries during the incident. The kitchen received minor smoke damage, with some water damage in the kitchen and the basement of the home. The occupants were not displaced as a result of the fire. Damage is estimated at $20,000.

State Fire Marshal William E. Barnard stated, “This is yet another example of the effectiveness of the protections afforded by automatic fire sprinklers in residential occupancies. Residential fire sprinklers save lives and property.”

Documenting and comparing fires in homes with and without fire sprinklers is extremely important to make the case for them. Maryland is able to do so readily because many jurisdictions have had fire sprinkler requirements in place for years. However, even if unable to compare because there are not enough homes in your community equipped with sprinklers, it is important to always include information about how much different the outcome would have been with fire sprinklers.

There is a need to raise awareness of the many benefits provided by these systems if we are to make the case for residential sprinklers. NFPA's Fire Sprinkler Initiative provides the latest research, reports and statistics to equip advocates with the facts to support the requirement for home fire sprinklers.

05/04/2012

Over 190 graduates of the National Fire Academy’sExecutive Fire Office (EFO) Program gathered this weekend for what represents the official gathering for alumni. According to NFA this “battery charging” event is filled with new and reinforcing information with a spirited sense of renewal, as there is a great deal of work yet to accomplish.

This year the symposium will provide particular emphasis on renewing efforts regarding the installation of residential sprinklers along with the maintenance of early warning detection devices and systems.

NFPA’s Gregory Cade, Division Director, Government Affairs, and Tim Travers, Regional Fire Sprinkler Specialist presented a national perspective of the home fire sprinkler requirement in all new one- and two-family home construction.

The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition (HFSC) conducted a side-by-side burn demonstration. HFSC's Peg Paul said this is a historic event. It is the first such demonstration ever conducted on the grounds of the NFA.

The symposium will, no doubt, provide these fire service leaders with the tools needed to advocate for home fire sprinklers in their communities.

Island Harbor Construction installs fire sprinklers in all new homes it builds and sells. Its website is full of information on the benefits of fire sprinklers. The action by this life safety conscientious builder should be emulated.

Side-by-side demonstrations are an excellent way to raise awareness on the importance of fire sprinklers. The Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition provides a free side-by-side kit that fire departments and others may use to provide this crucial community education exhibition.

Councilman Chris Chulakes-Leetz says he is currently working to put together a home fire sprinkler ordinance that will require construction to have sprinklers and will also make it cost-affordable for existing homeowners to retrofit their homes as well.